Railway-car-braking means for gravity-yards and the like.



E. H. FRANK.

RAILWAY CAR BRAKING MEANS FOR GRAVITYYARDS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. I915. 1 15mm Patented 0013.19, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. H. FRANK.

RAILWAY CAR-BRAKING MEANS FOR GRAVITY YARDS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY2B. I9I5. I

Patanted Oct. 19, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

EDWARD H. FRANK, 0F CENTRALIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 0F THIRTY-THREE ONE-HUNJDREDTHS T0 JOHN W. FRANK, 0F QENTRALIA, ILLINOIS.

MILWAY-CAR -BRAKING MEANS FOR GRAVITY-YARDS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

mama @ct. 19, rats.

Application filed May 28, 1915. Serial No. 31,006.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. FRANK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Centralia, in the county of Marion and State of Illinois,have invented a new and useful RailWay-Car-Braking Means forGravity-Yards and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway car braking means especially designedfor use in gravity yards or hump yards where it is necessary to providesome means for retarding the movement of the cars when reaching certainpoints upon the traiiic rails. One means heretofore employed for thispurpose has been an arrangement of wheel gripping rails mounted to slidetoward the trafiic rails so as to grip upon those portions of the wheelflanges projecting below the treads of the traffic rails. These slidablerails have been objectionable because it has been possible for them toengage only very small areas of the car wheels, thus becominginefficient as braking means. They have also been found objectionablebecause stones and the like becoming lodged between the gripping'railsand the traffic. rails have interfered seriously with the properoperation of the braking means.

One of the objects of the present invention is to so mount the wheelgripping rails as to enable them to engage the car wheels at pointsabove the treads of the traiiic rails on which they are mounted, thuspresenting extensive areas to the gripping action of the rails with theresult that a better braking action is obtained than would otherwise bethe case.

A further object is to provide wheel gripping rails so mounted that theoperation thereof will not be interfered with by any ordinary stones orother hard objects which may become lodged between the traffic rails andthe wheel gripping rails.

Another object is to provide improved means for actuating the wheelgripping rails, whereby pressure will be applied simultaneously tothewheels at both sides of a car.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter.described and claimed, it being understood ,sitions.

that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention hereindisclosed, can be made w1th1n the scope of what is claimed, withputdeparting from the spirit of the invenion.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred forms of the invention havebeen shown.

l[n said drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of portions of trafi'ic andwheel gripping rails having the presentimprovements. combined therewith,the wheel gripping rails being shown in active or gripping po- Fig. 2 isa section on line AB Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line C-DFig. 1. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the meeting end portions of twogripping rails and s owing the means employed for fastening themtogether. Fig. 5 is a section on line EF Fig. 4:. big. 6 is a plan viewof a modified means for actuating the gripping rails.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates thetraflic rails and wherever wheel gripping rails are used along thetraffic rails, chairs 2 are extended under said trafiic rails at desiredintervals, each chair having a lip 3 adapted to engage the inner baseflange of the traiiic rail and having a threaded stem 4 extendingoutwardly beyond the outer base flange of the rail. The chair isslidably engaged by a removable jaw 5 adapted to overhang the outer baseflange of the traffic rail 1- and nuts 6 engage the threaded stem 4 andconstitute means whereby the base of the rail 1 can be gripped tightlybetween the lip 3 and the jaw 5. An arm 7 is extended inwardly from eachchair 2 and is pivotally engaged by a link 8 the free end of which isprovided with a seat 9 having a recess 10 along one side thereof. Thelinks 8 adjacent each trafiic rail 1 support wheel gripping rails 11 thebases of which are bolted or otherwise secured to the seats 9, one ofthe flanges of the gripping rail being seated in the recesses 10.

Each link 8 has a socket 12 in which is seated a ball 13 at one end of aconnecting link 14:, this connecting link being attached by a ball andsocket joint 15 to a lever 16. The lever 16 is extended through a block17 to which it may be secured in any suitable manner, as by means ofbolts 18. Block 17 has a stem 19 depending therefrom and pivgas otallymounted in a bearing plate 20 which may be secured to one of the ties 21of the track.

It is to be understood that a gripping rail is arranged adjacent each ofthe traflic rails and that each gripping rail can be of any lengthdesired. In practice it will often be desirable to make these grippingrails eighty feet or more in length. The sections of the grippingrailsmay be fixedly connected in any manner desired. For example, and asshown in Figs. 4 and 5, fish plates 22 and 23 may be arranged atopposite sides of the meeting portions of the sections of the grippingrail, there being bolts 24 extending transversely through the fishplates and rail sections. The fish plate 23 is provided at one end withspaced inturned hooks 25 and, at its other end, with an outwardlyofi'set tongue 26 having an opening 27. A locking plate 28 is used inconnection with the fish plate 23 and is provided at one end with anoffset tongue 29 adapted to be inserted into the opening 27. The otherend of the locking plate 28 has a hooked portion 30 adapted to restbetween the hooked portions 25, the same being bent oppositely theretoso as to permit the insertion of a. locking pin 31 between the hookedportions 25 and 30. While this locking pin 31 is in place, the lockingplate 28 cannot be removed. This locking plate is formed with angularopenings 32 in which are seated the nuts 33 engaging bolts 24, said nutsthus being held against displacement. It is designed to place the fishplate 23 and the locking plate 28 upon that side of the gripping railnearest the trafiic rail so that when the gripping rail is moved toactive or braking position, the nuts 33, the projecting threaded ends ofthe bolts 24, and the locking plate 28 will all be extended downwardlywhere they will not become hung on the car wheels or any part dependingfrom the passing cars.

Extending longitudinally between the wheel gripping rails is a rod 34and secured to this rod between every two opposed levers 16 is a sleeve35 having rods 36 pivotally connected to it and extending to theadjacent lever 16. Thu-swhen the rod 34 is shifted longitudinally in onedirection, all of the levers of the wheel gripping rails coupled to saidrod will be swung upwardly and outwardly about the pivotal connectionsbetween arms 7 and links 8 with the result that the heads of the wheelgripping rails 11 will be thrust laterally against the inner sides ofthe car wheels at points above the treads of the rails 1. In Fig. 3, oneof the wheel gripping rails has been shown elevated and almost incontact with a wheel. As has heretofore been pointed out, a number oflinks 8, levers 16, and their connections are provided along each of therails 11 and as all of the levers 16 of one pair of railsll areconnected to one rod 34, it will be obvious that the movement of thisrod 34 in one direction will result in the simultaneousapplication ofboth rails 11 of the pair against the inner sides of the car wheels. Bymoving the rod 34 in the oposite direction, the rails 11 will be perpresented and the braking action of the ap-- paratus is rendered moreeflicient.

Any means desired may be employed for shifting the rod 34. For example,one end of the rod may be connected to a lever 37 connected to a pistonrod 38 extending beyond a cylinder 39. By directing pressure into oneend of the cylinder, the piston therein will pull through rod 38 uponlever 37 and thus cause the rod 34 to be shifted longitudinally to applythe Wheel gripping rails as heretofore pointed out. Instead of utilizingpressure operated means for actuating the wheel gripping rails, a handlever 40 may be employed, as shown in Fig. 6, this hand lever beingsecured to a crank shaft 41 and there being a link 42 connecting thecrank of said shaft to the lever 37. A standard 43 may be provided witha recess 44 for receiving lever 40 when the wheel gripping rails are inone position and this standard may be provided with a lock 45 wherebywhen the lever 40 is thrust into the recess 44, it will be automaticallyfastened therein. It is to be understood of course that in a gravityyard it is the practice to use a number of sets of gripping rails atdifferent points along the trafiic rails and it is the present intentionto provide an operating means such as described for each set or pair ofgripping rails. By providing pressure operated mechanism the differentgripping rails at various points in the gravity yard can be readilyoperated by a person located at a central point.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with trafiic rails, of wheelgripping rails. extended therealong and normally spaced therefrom, andmeans for swinging the wheel gripping rails upwardly and laterally toengage the sides of car wheels on the trafiic rails. v

2. The combination with traiiie rails, of wheel gripping rails paralleltherewith, an actuating member extending between the gripping rails, andmeans operated by the movement of said member in one direction, forsimultaneously swinging the gripping nwmaa rails upwardly and outwardlyto engage the inner faces of ear wheels at points above the traflicrails.

3. The combination with trafiic rails, of links pivotally mountedbetween and adjacent said rails, means for tying said links to the basesof the trafiic rails, gripping rails carried by the links and normallysupported in upstanding positions at points removed from the traflicrails, and means for simultaneously shifting the links to swing thegripping rails upwardly and outwardly to points above the traflic rails.

4. The combination with trafiic rails, of chairs extending under each ofthe rails, rail engaging means upon each chair, a jaw slidably engagingeach chair, said jaw being adapted to engage the outer base flange ofthe adjacent rail, means adjustably engaging the chair for binding thejaw upon the engaged rail, links pivotally connected to the respectivechairs, each link having a seat, gripping rails secured upon the seats,and means for simultaneously swinging the gripping rails upwardly andoutwardly to engage car wheels at points above the traflic rai s.

5. The combination with traflic rails, of chairs extending under each ofthe rails, rail engaging means upon each chair, a jaw slidably engagingeach chair, said jaw being adapted to engage the outer base flange ofthe adjacent rail, means adjustably engaging the chair for binding thejaw upon the engaged rail, links pivotally connected to the respectivechairs, each link having a seat, gripping rails secured upon the seats,and means for simultaneously swinging the gripping rails upwardly andoutwardly to engage car wheels at points above the traflic rails, saidmeans including an actuating rod, levers between the rod and thegripping rails, link connections between said rod and the respectivelevers, and connections between the levers and the adjacent railsupporting links. 7

6. The combination with a trafic rail, of a plurality of links, meansfor tying the links to the trafic rail, a wheel gripping rail fixedlyconnected to the links and made up of abutting sections, a connectionbetween the sections of the rail, said connection including opposed fishplates, bolts extending through the fish plates and rail, a lockingplate having nut receiving openings, and cooperating means upon the endsof one of the fish plates and of the locking plate for holding saidlocking plate against displacement relative to the fish plate.

7. The combination with a traflic rail, of a plurality of links, meansfor tying the links fish plates and of the locking plate for hold-- ingsaid locking late against displacement relative to the sh plate, andmeans for swinging the gripping rail upwardly and outwardly to posltionthe head of the rail against the inner side of a wheel passing along thetrafiic rail and to position the locking plate and the parts engagedthereby under the gripping rail.

8. The combination with a traflic rail, of a chair extending thereunder,a lip on the chair and overhanging one of the base flanges of the traficrail, a jaw slidably mounted on the chair and engaging the other baseflange of the rail, a threaded stem extending from the chair, means adjustably rengaging the stem for binding the jaw against the rail, an armextending from the chair, a link pivotally connected thereto and havinga rail receiving seat, a gripping rail secured to said seat, and meansfor swinging the link to move the gripping rail upwardly and laterallyto bring the head thereof against the inner side of a wheel upon thetraflic rail.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD H. FRANK. Witnesses:

HERBERT D. Lawson, R'L. PARKER.

